With the MLB All-Star game to be played later tonight I thought that it would be a good time to reexamine the 'Mid-Summer Classic.'

Of the four major sports the MLB All-Star game is by far the best. The NBA is second out of the four mainly due to the entertainment value of the Saturday night festivities, even with the steep decline of the dunk contest. Even though the NHL game can't be seen on regular television or even on one of the top two package upgrades, it is still much better than the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is the only football game that people don't watch. NFL reality shows get better ratings than the Pro Bowl.

So even though it is the best of a bad bunch, the All-Star game still has plenty of room for improvement. Let's start with what I like to call the "Little League" factor.

These are highly paid and motivated professional athletes, so why does MLB insist on treating them like they are 11-year-old kids who all need a trophy to feel better about playing for a losing team. Jose Fernandez isn't going to feel better that his team is 20 games out of first place just because he got a three-day trip to Queens.

Major League Baseball is the only sport that has this ridiculous rule. There does not need to be one player from every team. The game isn't getting higher ratings in Chicago because Travis Wood and Chris Sale are on the team.

The "Little League" rule always struck me as odd. When I was a kid it was nice to see Carlos Pena or Damon Easley for an inning or two once a year. Then 2002 happened, and embarrassed by what took place in his hometown Bud Selig implemented the only rule worse than the "Little League" rule. The winning league now gets home field advantage in the World Series.

So when you couple these two rules you now have Fernandez facing Jason Castro with the game on the line, when players who would be affected by this rule have already packed their bags and headed to see their families. Because when 'This one counts' the best players play the first three innings, and you make a pitching change after every inning.

Now everyone has memories of when the game was actually good. For some that means Reggie Jackson almost hitting a ball out of Tiger Stadium, for others it's Pete Rose ending the career of Ray Fosse. As I'm writing this I struggle to think of an All-Star memory that I have witnessed with my own two eyes and not just seen highlights of, which leads me to my next point. The players just don't care that much anymore.

There are a couple reasons for this. The oldest and most common is that the players nowadays get paid too much money. This line drives me crazy whenever it is used in terms of modern day athletes, but in this occasion it might hold a little water. Back when you could earn a bonus that was comparable to your season salary for making the team and then winning the game, I get why Rose ended someone's career.

Page 2 of 2 - The second reason is a more recent trend. That the players the fans want to see in the game are long gone by the time the game is on the line. Some where along the line it became acceptable to get everyone in the game, which means that you will be left with Fernandez against Castro scenario or more likely now with the rise of the closer, Marino Rivera against Everth Cabrera.

Like many other things in pro sports MLB needs to stop telling us the All-Star game is still important. Even American born players like Andrew McCutchen know the game isn't important. So MLB needs to pick a side and go with it. Either change the Little League rule and start playing the game like a real baseball game, or take away the home field advantage rule and play it as the glorified spring training game that it has become.